Managing Muscle Soreness for Squash

By Derek Hansen, CSCS
www.strengthpowerspeed.com

Squash is a ballistic sport. Anyone who has played competitively knows this. You hit the ball, you hit the wall, your feet impact the ground with incredible force and, sometimes, you collide with your competitors. This being the case, you are bound to come out of a match with lots of sore spots. So how do you deal with this side effect of squash and manage muscle and joint soreness day to day?

In order to combat the stress of squash, you must initiate a pro-active recovery and regeneration plan. Pain relievers and analgesics will only take you so far and, as we know, many of these products are not great for your long term health. A sustainable recovery and regeneration strategy should include the following elements:

1. On-going Hydration
Stay hydrated throughout the day and especially during and after your bout of exercise. Dehydration can cause muscle damage through cramping and can also affect your ability to flush your body of waste products and recovery adequately. Your drink can have small amounts of both carbohydrates and protein, as well as electrolytes, to assist with refueling.

2. Static Stretching
Light static stretching will help to restore your natural resting muscle length after intense exercise. Not only will muscle tone be reduced, thereby taking stress off your joints and your central nervous system, but you will also free up circulatory mechanisms that help clear out waste products and refuel muscles.

Key areas to stretch include the glutes/piriformis, hip flexors/psoas, low back and calves. All stretches should be done for long duration (60-90 seconds) at a very light intensity.

3. Contrast Treatments
Contrast showers or baths can help to create a circulatory response (pumping effect) that flushes the system of waste products and other catabolic compounds. Start with warm and always end on cold to avoid problems with inflammation. A common practice is three minutes hot and one minute cold, cycling through three to five times.

4. Essential Fatty Acids
Essential oils such as flax oil and fish oil contain anti-oxidants and also act as a mild anti-inflammatory. You may also find that these oils aid with joint viscosity, helping to lubricate sticking points. Take these substances in large daily doses.

5. Adequate and Timely Post-Exercise Nutrition
Always have carbohydrates and protein on hand for immediately after your intense exercise session to aid in refueling and to offset the catabolic effects of exercise. It's important to have some significant amount of nutrition withing 30-45 minutes of intense to reduce the incidence of soreness the next day.

6. Ice
When in doubt, if muscle or joint soreness is significant, use ice to address possible inflammation, muscle damage and pain. Approximately 15-20 minutes of application is adequate, with several sessions required within 48-72 hours following intense exercise or injury.

7. Periodic Massage and Manual Therapy
If you can afford it, go see a good massage therapist on a regular basis. Good massage by a registered massage therapist can loosen up tight muscles, aid in circulation and address joint soreness effectively. Additionally, other soft-tissue therapists such as chiropractors (i.e. Active Release Treatment) can also help address muscle and joint pain issues. A minimum of once per week for massage and once per month for your chiropractor may be effective in offsetting some tightness and soreness. A poor man's (or woman's) version of a massage therapist is a foam roller or the massage stick. However, nothing beats getting worked on by human hands as they are more precise and aware of adhesions and knots.

Deep tissue massage should be undertaken away from key training sessions or competitions as it can adversely affect muscle function and coordination in immediate short-term. A flushing massage can be performed closer to (before and after) heavy training sessions and competitions.

8. Having a Good Warm-Up Prior to Exercise
If you are not warming up adequately prior to your squash match, you will pay for it in the long run. An adequate warm-up will enhance circulation, make muscles more supple and resistant to strains and pulls, and will enhance your overall muscle mechanics and movement efficiency, thereby reducing the incidence of post-exercise muscle soreness. Spend at least 15 minutes warm-up prior to your match. You can start your warm-up off-court with skipping, jumping jacks or some other light aerobic exercise to increase your circulation. Your warm-up can be more specific once you get on-court.

Having said all of this, you probably will never eliminate all of the soreness associated with squash. But hey, isn't this game worth it?

Derek is a NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist that has been working with athletes in speed, strength and power sports since 1988. He works as a full-time Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, BC, Canada and is an instructor at the National Coaching Institute in Vancouver, specializing in Strength & Conditioning, Biomechanics and Recovery/Regeneration. His clients include teams and athletes from Canadian National/Olympic programs and professional leagues in multiple sports. Currently, Derek is serving as the NSCA Provincial Director of British Columbia.